Jasmine Memories
by shelzykid
Summary: Zuko comes home after a long day and can't seem to escape the smell he's not so fond of. Written for alyssialui's Pro-bending Circuit Writing Competition. No ships.


**This story is an entry for Round 1 of alyssialui's Pro-bending Circuit Writing Competition.**

 **I am the Firebender and Captain of the Makapu Moose Lions.**

 **My task is: Someone returning home after a long day**

 **The prompts I have chosen are:**

 **(smell) jasmine**

 **(location) Ember Island**

 _Why would they force me to go to meetings all day?_ Zuko wondered as he trudged back to his vacation home, where his friends were waiting. _Especially since I'm on vacation…_

When the teen opened the front door, a strong scent quickly filled his nose, and his face twisted in recognition and disgust. "What _is_ that?" he asked loudly, announcing his arrival.

Sokka popped his head around the corner and smiled at the older boy. "It's incense! Katara bought it from a vendor earlier this afternoon," he explained, sniffing the air and sighing in delight.

"What the hell is it supposed to smell like?" the young lord asked, shutting the door behind him.

"It's jasmine," Aang piped in. "Smells good, huh?"

"No, not really," Zuko muttered.

"Well, come sit with us! I'm sure you could use a nice night like this to relax," Sokka smiled, gesturing toward the sofas, where Katara, Suki and Toph were sitting.

"Yeah, Ember Island is supposed to be a place for relaxation, not boring meetings!" Aang said.

"Thanks, guys, but I think I'm gonna turn in for the night." the oldest boy yawned, heading upstairs to his room.

"But it's only-"

"Goodnight, Sokka!" Zuko interjected, throwing himself onto his bed as soon as he was in his room.

 _Wait,_ Zuko thought, lifting his head up. _What the hell?_ The scent had gotten stronger now. He sat up, glancing around the room. His gaze landed on a shelf, where an incense holder was sitting.

"Dammit, it's everywhere!" he muttered to himself. Standing up from his bed, the firebender grabbed the source of the very strong scent and marched downstairs.

"Sokka!" he called, and the boy poked his head around the corner, smiling.

"Yes?" he asked innocently.

"Why the hell is there one of these in my room?" Zuko asked, holding up the incense holder.

"Your room seemed so boring. I thought it needed a little extra... oomph!" the water tribe boy explained, adding special hand motions.

Pinching the bridge of his nose, Zuko sighed. "I appreciate your effort," he started. "But my room is fine. I don't need you adding incense to it," he said, shoving the holder into Sokka's arms, turning away as the younger boy fumbled with the object.

Zuko grumbled as he stomped back into his room. He was _not_ in the mood to deal with Sokka and his precious "jasmine" incense.

When Zuko stepped into his room, he realized that now his _whole room_ still smelled like the jasmine incense.

Grumbling more, the Fire Lord marched back downstairs and into the living room, sitting himself next to Toph.

"Are you alright, Zuko?" Katara asked.

"No, I'm not," he started. "I had meetings all day even though I'm supposed to be on vacation and I'm exhausted, but I can't sleep because my whole room now smells like the incense you bought at the market today.

"Why don't you like the smell of it?" Suki asked, and Zuko paused. There was a reason he didn't like the smell, but he was not willing to share.

"It's just... it's just a bad smell," he said, turning his head away.

"You're lying," Toph sang.

"What's the _real_ story?" Sokka asked.

"...My mother used to buy that scent when I was young. I...I never liked it, but she loved it, and it just reminds me of her," he explained, noticing the pitying looks on his friends' faces. "That's all. It's not a big deal, really."

"Sorry, Zuko. I didn't know," Katara said softly.

"It's really not a big deal," Zuko shrugged.

"Well, how about you sleep out here for now? The smell isn't that strong since its source is in the kitchen. We'll be quiet," Suki offered.

Zuko nodded and laid his head back, dozing off rather quickly.

 _Eight year old Zuko ran quickly through the halls of the palace in search of his mother. She wasn't at the pond like he'd expected, and it had worried him._

 _"Mom!" he called, sprinting faster, causing many servants to either jump out of the way or topple over. Finally he found her in a room he didn't know existed. It was dark, but he could see her silhouette in the corner._

 _"Mom!" he smiled happily._

 _"Oh, Zuko!" she gasped. "You scared me."_

 _"Mom, I-" he cut himself off, and he scrunched his nose. "What's that smell?"_

 _"It's called incense," she said. "It's jasmine-scented. Do you like it?"_

 _"Not really..." he muttered. "It's really... strong."_

 _Ursa smiled softly. "I suppose you'd have to get used to it to like it."_

 _"I guess," he said, covering his nose with his hand. "Can we go to the turtle-duck pond now?" he asked, and his mother smiled._

 _"Of course."_

"What's he dreaming about?" Suki wondered aloud, noticing the smile that had spread across Zuko's face not long after he fell asleep.

"Maybe it's something about his mother," Aang suggested.

"I feel kind of bad for buying the incense. I didn't realize it would affect him like that," Katara sighed.

"Meh, whatever. I'm gonna go fill his room with some more incense."

 **Word count(not including A/N): 849**


End file.
